🔊 Katydids’ Nightsong
We went camping at Babcock State Park near New River Gorge, West Virginia, not too long ago and the evenings were overwhelmed with the sound of katydids. Their call-and-answer singing completely surrounded us and lasted for hours. I don’t know how to estimate how many katydids there were in the area, but their wall of sound enveloped us, and it was impossible to not stop and just take it in.
Katydids are also sometimes called Bush Crickets or Long-horned Grasshoppers, but they are neither crickets, nor grasshoppers. There are more than 8,000 species and they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.
In Appalachia, there’s an old folktale that people once told to explain the sound of katydids. The story goes that there was a beautiful young woman named Katy who fell deeply in love with a man. She adored him and wanted nothing more than to make him happy. But he fell in love with her sister instead. Heartbroken and consumed with jealousy, Katy killed them both. The townspeople never suspected her… but the insects knew the truth. From then on, their call carried the accusation through the night: “Katy did it, Katy did it.”
Naturalist’s Notebook
Transcribe the sounds
Draw the insects’ sounds on paper or in a drawing app on your phone. Use rising and falling lines to show changes in pitch and indicate note durations with long and short lines.
Write your own lyrics
Using made up lyrics is a common way to identify animal sounds. Can you make up your own for the animal you’re hearing?
Soundscape Map
Draw a map of the area around you. Draw yourself at the center of the page, then try mapping the sounds around you. The sounds can be animals, airplanes, people…try indicating their distance and location from you, and feel free to add icons or descriptions to help you remember them.
